Most crafts today, such as ships, cars, trains, etc., contain some type of power plant to provide power to the craft and to provide propulsion for the craft. The power plant typically is some form of internal combustion or turbine engine. Typically, these power plants are controlled by an electronic controller. The controller is responsible for controlling the power plant and monitoring the operating conditions of the power plant. The controller is responsible for starting the power plant, regulating fuel supply to the power plant, monitoring operating conditions of the power plant (fuel level, temperature, oil supply and pressure, engine speed), stopping the power plant (normally and in the event of a problem in the plant). The controller typically communicates with the power plant via electrical signals.
Because the controller is responsible for the operation of the power plant, it is crucial that the controller is configured properly and operates properly. If the controller is defective or improperly configured, the power plant or the craft can be damaged. For example, the controller can be set to stop the power plant in the event an operating parameter, such as oil pressure, reaches a certain level. If the controller is set to an incorrect oil pressure level or the controller is improperly monitoring the oil pressure, the power plant may be damaged if oil pressure drops too low.
Conventionally, to prevent power plant malfunction, the controllers were regularly configured and tested to ensure proper operation. Conventional methods, however, are cumbersome and inefficient. To prevent damage during configuration and testing, the controller may be removed from the power plant and configured on a test power plant.
Likewise, the controller may be configured utilizing simulators. These simulators “mimic” the various parameters of a power plant. That is, the simulators receive the electrical signals from the controller and provide electrical signals to the controller as would an operating power plant. Traditionally, these simulators consist of a series of electrical circuits, such as transistors, oscillators, etc. that generate and receive the electrical signals.
In these simulators, a human operator must individually initiate and tune each electrical signal representing an operating parameter of the power plant As such, only a single parameter, such as an oil pressure set point, can be configured and tested at a time, which is time consuming. Additionally, because the conventional simulator is tuned by a human operator, the method can be inaccurate. Also, the simulator can not mimic the true operation of the power plant because the human operator cannot simultaneously vary all operating parameters to accurately mimic a power plant. Accordingly, methods and systems are needed that accurately and efficiently simulate a power plant for configuration and testing of controllers.